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Because each verse in Proverbs is so short, it is often difficult to ascertain the exact original meaning, the yap-Pshat. Some Biblical words mean only one thing. Others, such as the Biblical root “kgp”, have a range of possibilities. In addition, how the words interact syntactically can be problematic. However, with the freedom of imaginative ars-Drash interpretations, these three words yield many rich possibilities:

This Annual Report describes the work of many ohehsm-Good People. In Ziv's all-too-brief summaries of their Tikkun Olam projects, you, our donors and readers, will readily see how each interpretation applies. While meeting the recipient's needs is of paramount importance, the donor/Mitzvah-doer also reaps many benefits.

Here are our “numbers”, the Tzedakah money that made so many Mitzvahs happen:

If you would like to continue your support of our Mitzvah work, please make your check payable to “Ziv Tzedakah Foundation” and send your contribution to:

We did well this year. We supported 10 Mitzvah projects in Canada and Israel. To all of you who have taken part in our work - ofjuf rahh-Yishar Kochachem, all the more strength to continue to do this Mitzvah of Tzedakah! Lechaim- - To Life!

1. Some organizations described in this report that were also funded by Ziv Tzedakah Fund, Inc. (a separate organization in the United States), were written by Naomi Eisenberger, Managing Director. Some sections of her descriptions have been adapted and edited for this report.

2. If you received this report in the mail, we have included a copy of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund (American) Annual Report.

3. The website for the American Ziv organization is www.ziv.org. Besides the Annual Report, there are many other items that may be of interest: articles on Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam, photographs and descriptions of activities in Israel, suggestions for Bar and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah projects, and several other useful ideas and pieces of information.

5. An Important Last-Minute Note -cellphone numbers changing in Israel: As we were writing the report, Arnie Draiman, the Ziv (U.S.) agent in Israel, sent us an update about cellphone numbers. All numbers will be changing in the near future, but the old numbers will still work until October. However, since this report is used throughout the year, we wanted to give you a chart of what changes are to be made to those numbers listed in our report: For example: Anita Shkedi's cellphone number Anita's cellphone # 067-205-886, will become 054-7-205-886. The final six numbers in all cases remain the same. Here is the rest of the chart:

050 = 050-5; 051 = 050-7; 052 = 052-2; 053 = 052-3; 054 = 054-4; 055 = 054-5; 056 = 050-6; 057 = 057-7; 058 = 052-8; 064 = 052-4; 065 = 052-5; 066 = 054-6; 067 = 054-7; 068 = 050-8.

Read on, and see how our Tzedakah money performs miracles that are daily with us.

I can think of no better way to set the tone for this review of our support for Israel than to quote my teacher in Torah and Mitzvahs, student, and friend, Rabbi Neal Gold. In his 2003 Kol Nidray sermon, he told the congregation, “When I was growing up, I always trusted my Hebrew school teachers. I trusted them, and I believed what they taught me. One thing I believed them about was what they told me about our relationship to Israel. They taught me that we loved Israel. They didn’t say we “feel good about Israel,” or that we “like the idea of Israel very much”. They said: We love Israel.”

The Talmud (Ketubot 112a-b) records an interesting practice of two Rabbis, Rabbi Ammi and Rabbi Assi. They were in the habit of moving from the shade to the sun and from the sun to the shade. The most common explanation is that when it got too hot, they would move into the shade, and when a chill began to come into the air, they would move into the sun. They wanted to feel comfortable so that they would not be tempted to complain about anything at all about the Land of Israel. When we reviewed this passage, my teacher, Dr. Abraham Gittelson, spontaneously offered another interesting interpretation: We see things differently in bright sunlight than in the shade. The two Rabbis would move back and forth so that they could appreciate life in Israel and Israel itself even more. They wanted to see and feel it every way possible. In fact, when I am taking walks with friends in Jerusalem, I suggest to them that if they have been on a particular street before, they might want to look both with and without sunglasses or to keep their eyes on the second story…just to get a different sense of life in Yerushalayim, clotheslines and all.

Finally, as I move into the specific descriptions of our work in Israel, it would be good to add comments by the distinguished Tanach/Bible scholar, Professor Jacob Milgrom in his explanation to Leviticus 19:18, “Love others as you love yourself”. Professor Milgrom writes that the verb “A-H-V” “signifies not only an emotion or attitude, but also deeds.” In other words, as Rabbi Gold explained further in his sermon, by saying that we love Israel it is not enough to just feel something in our minds, hearts, and souls. We have to do certain things to demonstrate what this love means. Ziv's Tzedakah work described below describes how we take this principle very seriously.

Please note: Should you be going to Israel and want a list of you can bring for some of our projects, please contact Arnie Draiman, Ziv (U.S.)'s agent in Jerusalem, well ahead of time: soosim@netmedia.net.il.

An interesting Jewish text (Leviticus Rabba, Margoliot Edition, 34:6) reminds us of the complexity of Tikkun Olam:

When we study this passage from the Midrash, there is one individual who always comes to mind - The Rabbanit Bracha Kapach, .

She is the ultimate ,esm-Tzadeket, Righteous One. Nothing is beyond her - feeding hungry people, clothing people, providing new brides with a wedding, a gown and a “hope chest” filled with sheets and towels and other things every bride wants and needs, making a Bar Mitzvah for a youngster whose family cannot afford even the basic cost of a Simcha, providing Pesach food packages for more than 5,000 families (over 20,000 people!), conducting a weekly -Shi’ur, Torah session for elderly women in the neighborhood…the list goes on and on.

Veteran readers of this report know that she personifies what we mean when we use the term “Mitzvah hero”. Since her youth in her native Yemen, and then in Jerusalem, the Rabbanit has devoted herself to helping others. Those who have been fortunate enough to have sat at her side in her living room and heard her tell her story, know she started her work at the very tender age of six when her Eema, Naomi, sent her to deliver food to the doorstep of a poor family. The Rabbanit is very careful to remind the listener that her mother's instructions were to leave the food and run away so that the recipient would not be embarrassed by this offering.

The Rabbanit married Yosef Kapach, k”z, at the tender age of 11 and then, several years later made her way with her family to Israel on the back of a donkey and then by boat. She relates that once she was in Israel it was a woman's screams that led her to the work to which she has dedicated herself. When she when into the apartment from which the screams emanated, she discovered an old woman, lying in filth and in need of food and water. She washed the woman, changed her clothes, fed her some nourishment, and has continued on that path of Chessed, kindness for the rest of her life.

Over the past year we have been privileged to bring many new people to her living room to hear her story. Not one of them leaves without being both heartened and amazed by what she does…no one. Some have left her with duffel bags filled with school supplies, towels, sheets, wedding gowns (she has enough now to open a lending bridal boutique!), underwear, socks, baby clothes, shekels, dollars and a very creative donor has even bought her a brand-new freezer which is filled weekly with frozen chickens that the Rabbanit distributes to the people who come to her door seeking some special Shabbat food.

The face of the Rabbanit Kapach is the face of all that is good in this world. It is the face that we think of when we are asked about the meaning of the word, “Ziv/radiance.” It is a face resplendent with light and hope and love and we wish her many, many more years of Mitzvahs and good health.

This donor-recommended contribution is being used to alleviate the hardships of poverty for specific individuals and families.

[The Rabbanit Bracha Kapach, 12 Lod St., Jerusalem, phone: 02-624-9296. She has incorporated her work as “hngb ,kudx ire/Keren Segulat Naomi.”]

When people ask us about the array of Tikkun Olam programs with which we are involved, high on the list is therapeutic horseback riding. Some who ask us respond, “We’re not really ‘animal people.’” But this is not about animals….though at first glance you cannot believe it is about anything else. Horses, beautiful horses are everywhere and with the backdrop of the deep blue Mediterranean and the cloudless sky there is a majesty that just envelops the place. Barns and stables and a riding ring almost complete the picture, but if you look closely there is another element…people. There are people here in wheelchairs, with crutches, people who clearly have some serious disability, some who have experienced the trauma and loss that comes with terror attacks, and some for whom peace of mind has not been found. What they all have in common, though, is the opportunity to experience the many benefits of therapeutic horseback riding.

Anita and Giora Shkedi founded the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association (INTRA) and have dedicated their lives to helping people regain their physical and emotional well-being through this unique therapy. Anita's expertise in all areas of this field is astonishing. For example, she is world-renowned in the treatment of head injury through therapeutic riding, and her work with individuals with multiple sclerosis is extremely impressive. In addition, she trained dozens of others who have now chosen this field as their life's work.

As the number of people affected by terror attacks continues to rise, INTRA has taken on a large number of riders with physical and/or emotional disabilities relating to the attacks. While many of them are soldiers, a good number are civilians who experienced, first-hand, the trauma which left their lives forever changed. The stories Anita shares with us are both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

We are never disappointed when we visit the center. Of course, now our visits are even more exciting because we get to see “Siegel,” a very special horse, who is a little more than a year old. Some of you may remember that Pocahantas, a horse purchased for the Center by our good friends, Minna Heilpern and Judy Kupchan, was actually pregnant when she was purchased, though no one knew it at the time! Once it was determined that Pokey was going to deliver, Minna and Judy had the enviable task of picking a name for the new foal and with great love and respect, picked the name “Siegel.” Our Siegel, Danny, that is - often referred to as “the other Siegel” - just loves to meet his namesake. She is a beautiful horse, both inside and out. Children particularly love her. When she nears her 3^rd birthday, she will begin her holy work as a Mighty Mitzvah Horse, making many miracles happen during her equine lifetime.

We should also mention that several kids about to celebrate their Bar or Bat Mitzvah have chosen to donate a substantial portion of their gifts toward the purchase of a horse. By our count, at least four horses have been added to Anita's stables, among them Smokey, donated by Lisa Easton from Chevy Chase, Maryland. This is a meaningful way to commemorate such a Simcha. Be in touch with us for details if you are interested in purchasing a horse. We also have a long wish list from Anita for much-needed equipment, as well as ways to subsidize riding lessons for many individuals waiting for the necessary funding to begin to ride.

This year's donation to INTRA came from donor-recommended contributions. The money will be used specifically for underwriting lessons for soldiers who have become disabled as a result of the years of terror in Israel.

[INTRA-Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association-Mitzvah Horses, Anita and Giora Shkedi, Hadassah Neurim, 40298, Israel, Giora's cellphone: 054-645-886, Anita's cellphone: 067-205-886, the phone at INTRA Center: 09-866-6305, fax: 09-866-5753,

If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, we would ask you to envision the following images: dogs, some big like 60-kilogram La Belle the Newfoundland, some tiny like the three Pekinese, one white, one black, and one beige, still another dog, Doobie, missing a leg but perfectly capable of running around and having fun as dogs like to do, and finally, picture cats, cats and more cats - Ragdolls to be specific. These long-haired beauties are really more like dogs and even walk on a leash! Completing the picture is a bear of a man, slightly disheveled, but projecting love and compassion in all that he does. He is Avshalom Beni, founder of HAMA (Israel) - Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance (Israel), and a master of animal-assisted therapy. We have watched Avshalom in action on several occasions and can report that his band of mostly four-legged therapists can produce amazing changes in people who are weary, sad, imprisoned (either literally or figuratively), abused, or lonely.

On our most recent trip to Israel we were able to visit him and the crew at the Lev HaSharon Hospital. Tragically, decades after the Shoah, Holocaust, some survivors are still so haunted by the memories of their experiences, they must live in an institution. Lev HaSharon is an extremely caring environment, and Avshalom's work there is critical to the wellbeing of many individuals who benefit from his work. The implications of his program go beyond this one location - the research papers that he publishes serve as groundbreaking material for others working in similar fields of Tikkun Olam.

Our experience at Lev HaSharon was incredibly moving! Expecting to be depressed by the population and the facility, we were truly touched by the way in which the Elders interacted with the animals, some holding the leashes while walking the animals through the beautiful gardens, others petting the soft fur of the dogs and cat sitting at their feet or on their lap. While there, Avshalom reported a recent breakthrough they had made with a woman who is catatonic - she must be fed, lifted, moved, never speaks, spends her days staring into space. The only time this behavior changes is when she is visited by one of the therapy dogs…it is only then that she starts to talk - to the animal. It is a first step towards communication with human beings in the world outside her troubled psyche.

Avshalom also rescues abused, elderly, and abandoned dogs. While the poignant tales he shares with us about these animals are often filled with despair and sadness, almost every one of them ends on a happy note. We are delighted to work with Avshalom and his wife, Pam. He is a dreamer, but also a visionary whose unique skills are being used in a most effective way.

This donor-recommended contribution was used to pay pet food and veterinarian bills.

[HAMA (ISRAEL) Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance (Israel), Avshalom Beni, Program Director, 10 HaHadarim Road, Savyon 36524, Israel, phone: 03-635-2722, 03-736-0869, cellphone: 052-899-7147, Pam: 04-636-9443, hama-israel@bezeqint.net.]

Behind the news stories that appeared after Israel's battle in Jenin in the spring of 2002 were real people, people who lost their lives, people who incurred serious injuries, families that were left without fathers, husbands, brothers. The Fund for the IDF 5th Regiment-5 (IDF=Israel Defense Forces) was started by a group of soldiers in that unit on behalf of those who fought in Jenin, as well as those who served in the 5th Regiment in earlier times. In addition to providing many different types of support to families who have lost a loved one, the group is also involved in finding jobs for reserve soldiers who have become unemployed due to the economic downturn in Israel. We are very impressed with the work they are doing, and also with the gentle, caring, and creative way in which they do it. Major Rafi Laderman, third in command in Jenin, and the manager of the Fund, recently wrote us about the group's latest activities, which include living monuments such as community centers and synagogues dedicated to the memory of specific fallen soldiers.

We highly recommend a beautifully written book entitled, A Psalm in Jenin, by Brett Goldberg. Mr. Goldberg spent many months interviewing the soldiers who fought in this battle as well as their families. The result of those interviews is a very moving account of all that transpired before, during and after the battle ended. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Fund for the IDF 5th Regiment's work.

[Rafi Laderman, The Fund for the IDF 5th Regiment-5 Aguda LeMa'an Hativa 5, 5b Moshe Dayan St., Kfar Saba 44539, Israel, 09-766-0317, cellphone: 055-247-979, fax: 057-768-0148, info@amuta5.org.il, www.amuta5.org.il. (Hebrew website. Click on right-hand menu, “About the Association” to get to the English translation.)]

Walking into Beit Frankforter, one of Jerusalem's finest day centers for Elders, is always a special treat. The bustling activity on all four floors of this building is a marvel to watch. On one floor, you can peek in as a session in armchair aerobics or Feldenkreis is being taught. On another, a group of gentlemen are engaged in serious Torah study, a second group is taking Hebrew Ulpan or, perhaps, learning the basics of computer technology so they can communicate with their children or grandchildren, near and far. One entire floor is devoted to leisure activities - some of the most spirited card games are held in the game room with a smattering of French or Hebrew or Farsi bandied about, and the crafts workshop is often filled with talented artists painting, knitting, crocheting or hammering copperplate. (The attached Beit Frankforter store sells most of these lovely creations.) You can also visit the medical clinic where a volunteer dentist provides care, massage therapists work their special talents and a medical doctor sometimes offers on-site visits. To finish it off, Beit Frankforter offers a delicious home-cooked hot meal daily, as well as transportation to and from the center.

Over the past year or so, many of Beit Frankforter's -savtas, Grandmothers have been engaged in a special project - preparing sandwiches for local schoolchildren whose families cannot afford to send them to school with this mid-morning snack. This fine inter-generational project is one of our favorites among Beit Frankforter's huge array of activities. It has been our privilege to watch the savtas in this work - they are clearly excited about this Mitzvah. (This is an excellent project for Hebrew schools to adopt - the cost of a sandwich is about 75 cents.)

Ziv's donor-recommended contribution was used to support the savtas wonderful sandwich program for schoolchildren.

[Beit Frankforter, Sima Zini, Executive Director, 80 Derech Bet Lechem, POB 10074, Jerusalem, 02-671-4848, frankfor@netvision.net.il, Sheila Becker, PR, 050-573-508.]

Our Mitzvah activities in Canada covered a fine range of programs. Needs far exceed our resources, but, within our Tzedakah budget, we followed our principle that every dollar should make a difference in someone's life.

The “Human Potential Movement” was a very popular phenomenon several years ago. With all it's flaws, it still benefited many people. Now it is time to write about “human potential” in a different context - for people with special needs. I was fortunate to have a reunion with my old friend, Randy Spiegel, Executive Director of Toronto's Zareinu Educational Centre, and, as he described the program, I knew Ziv had to be involved.

Regardless of religious affiliation (or non-affiliation), 66 infants and children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 18 years participate in Zareinu's program. The staff of physical, occupational, behavioral, speech and music therapists, as well as a social worker and experts in the field of special education are extremely skilled and exceptionally devoted to the children. From 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., they work with each child to develop whatever that individual's very real specific needs might be. The fact that the staff-to-child ratio is close to 1-to-1 is part of the “secret” of Zareinu's success - and one phone call or meeting with Randy will allow you to hear numerous success stories that will dazzle you. Know that the above description barely covers the full array of Zareinu's services.

Not that I review my conversations with Randy, I understand precisely what was so appealing to me about Zareinu. It wasn’t the numbers, nor the fact that it was a Jewish special needs program. It is that intense commitment to the unique needs of each child as an individual.

Our Tzedakah money was used to purchase educational materials such as puzzles, cardboard books, easy-to-read paperbacks, stickers, and whatever other supplies Zareinu deemed necessary for its fine work. We are extremely pleased to add Zareinu to our annual report.

[Zareinu, attn: Randy E. Spiegel, Executive Director, Zareinu Educational Centre of Metropolitan Toronto, 7026 Bathurst St., Thornhill, ON L4J 8K3, 905-738-5542 ext. 336, 905-738-8047 (fax), randy@zareinu.org, www.zareinu.org.]

We continue our support for Montreal's Auberge Shalom. The Jewish community provides not only safe haven, but also a range of services that assist the women and children in re-establishing a new, healthy, and stable life. As is our custom, we requested that our donations be used for specific needs of the project or individuals.

[Auberge Shalom, C.P. 986, Montreal, Quebec H3X 3Y1, Diane Sasson, Executive Director, 514-731-0833, fax: 731-8337.]

We remind our readers and supporters that Toronto also has a Jewish shelter for victims of domestic violence through Jewish Family and Child Service, 416-638-7800. Other Canadian Jewish communities offer a variety of services and assistance to those who have suffered from the painful reality of abuse. We may have been “late” in addressing this “issue” (which is too human to be just labeled an “issue”) - but we are moving forward at a steady and ever-quickening pace.

Jewish tradition teaches that we may enjoy our own Seder only after we know that others can be free to do the same. Because Pesach is the dj-holiday celebrating freedom, no one should be left with spare table, or none at all. With that perspective in mind, Ma’ot Chittin- providing Passover food for people in need has always been an incredibly important and powerful Mitzvah. We chose Toronto's Jewish Family and Child Service to be our agent, specifically to locate Elders who would benefit.

[Family and Child Service, Karen Paikin, 4600 Bathurst St., Willowdale, Ontario M2R 3V3, 416-638-7800 X 214, fax: 638-7943.]

Over the past several years, we have supported Toronto's Shalom Food Project which provides for at-risk children. As it happened, this past December, Miriam Kalushner, this Mitzvah program's founder, and I found ourselves together at Britain's Limud Conference. Our lengthy conversations reinforced in me the desire to continue to support and publicize this powerful and effective grass-roots Tikkun Olam effort.

To quote from last year's report, “More than 30 children and their mothers receive breakfast four or five times a week, as well as a lunch to take to school. This program is about community, a safe gathering place, and caring, but it is also about food, real food for hungry people. Higher philosophy and abstract concepts all play their part in Tzedakah, but without food, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Food. Miriam and her people provide hot, nutritious food…and dignity and hope.

[Shalom Food Project, Attn: Miriam Kalushner, 38 Orchard View Blvd., #1105, Toronto, ON M4R 2G3, 416-488-9515, mkalushner@sympatico.ca.]

As someone who can no longer tolerate cold weather as well as I did when I was younger, it was decided to donate to two of Toronto-based Ve'ahavta-s programs to ease in some way the lives of homeless people in Toronto. The first ($320) was to purchase and distribute warm sox, gloves, and hats. The second ($180) was for Ve'ahavta's Hot Potato Tikkun Olam Program. Paraphrasing a description I received from the office, Ve'ahavta was asked to purchase potatoes, heat them up, wrap them in paper, put them in a sock, and then to distribute them to homeless individuals from the back of their special van. Ve'ahavta discovered that the potatoes can stay warm for up to five hours and be used as a source of heat inside sleeping bags. The next day, the potato is still edible and provides energy, as well as vitamins, potassium and fiber. The concept originated in Eastern Europe, from the lives of the peasants, and demonstrates once again that some Mitzvah-creativity can make a significant difference in the lives of many people with minimal cost and effort.

Ve'ahavta's Tikkun Olam work covers many projects not only in Toronto, but also abroad. A visit to the website www.veahavta.org describes their impressive array of programs.

[Ve'ahavta-,cvtu: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian & Relief Committee, attn: Avrum Rosensweig, 22 Balliol St., Suite 108, Toronto, ON M4S 1C1, 416-964-7698, fax: 416-964-6582, mail@veahavta.org, www.veahavta.org.]

Our donors include many individuals as well as groups of people such as Jewish day schools, religious schools and synagogue social action committees. This year, considerable sums came from specific individuals and groups. It is our policy not to single them out by name. We have never done so, and, while we appreciate their fine support, any Yasher Koach to them is expressed privately. And though I understand that name recognition has its place in Tzedakah work, Ziv is a non-plaque, non-banner type of Tzedakah organization that doesn’t single out individuals for public recognition. However, if some of our readers would like to make large donations, we welcome the opportunity to consult with them about their ideas and how best to make a great and cost-effective impact.

Also, as you know, we have no overhead. All funds for printing and mailing our report are covered by private donations.

1. A few years ago, I was the guest speaker for graduation at the Solomon Schechter High School on Long Island. One of the speeches was delivered in Hebrew by Hila Ratzabi, a graduating senior, who had prepared the speech with three other students. Parts of the speech included the following: The unique character of our school has given us the tools to become ,ubnjru gsh hkgc-knowledgable, compassionate Jews....We have learned to care about the community and to take action in the name of Tikkun Olam....We have grown as a group, but, more importantly, we have grown as informed, open-minded, caring individuals who will make a difference in the future. [My emphases.] For “caring”, Hila used the Hebrew “ck hcuy”, literally “good-hearted”. I would imagine that, after hearing these words, the parents really knew that all the time, effort, and money that they had invested in their child's education made perfect sense. For ourselves who are involved in Ziv's work, this is a wonderful message. It is hoped that being engaged in Tikkun Olam, our labors would move us towards becoming better , compassionate Jews, and that we have refined our abilities to be, goodhearted individuals. I would think that this is a worthy goal for our lives as Jews and human beings.

2. Returning to our original text: I offer one more interpretation, as taught to me by my friend, Eli Dicker: People who attempt to live a life of Tzedakah, Mitzvahs, and Tikkun Olam know that they are very much “alive”. Indeed, they usually feel most “alive” when they are engaged in the kind of Tikkun Olam recorded in this report. They experience exuberant moments, a rush of enthusiasm, and are even occasionally blessed with revelatory insights.

The Mitzvah heroes are our best teachers in this endeavor. As I often quote - John Holt said it best,

Charismatic leaders make us think, “Oh, if only I could do that, be like that.”

Furthermore, those who seek to do Tikkun Olam know they have a reason they were given this gift of life. There are failures, diversions, and setbacks, but these happen to everyone. The Ikkar, the essence, though, is that this is the goal - a Life of Mitzvahs.

As always, I am personally filled with a sense of privilege that I am allowed to be, your Mitzvah-Messenger in this endeavor. I thank you for this honor. As I said at the beginning of this report:

Ziv Tzedakah Foundation

31 Glen Rush Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario M5N 2T4

416-486-7425 (phone), 486-9810 (fax), amgould@sympatico.ca

Board of Directors

Danny Siegel, Chairman, 301-468-0060, Siegelz@aol.com

Merle Gould, Treasurer, 416-486-7425, (phone) 416-486-9810 (fax), amgould@sympatico.ca

Robert Silberstein, Board Member, 416-638-6016

Our Mitzvah Work in Israel